In October 1776, Colonel
William Christian led a force
of 2,000 riflemen against the Cherokee villages. Although
Charles Cocke did not mention this Service in his Pension
Application, the records indicate that Charles Cocke was
on this expedition:

The army of Col
William Christian was made up of about 1800 men
and marched 6 Oct 1776 from the Double Spring
camp toward the Indian towns. They went down Lick
Creek, in present Greene County to its junction
with the Nolichucky River. During the night while
the army was camped here, Ellis Hardin, a trader
at the Cherokee towns, came into camp with
information that the Indians were waiting on the
south side of the French Broad to contest the
crossing of the river. From the camp at the mouth
of Lick Creek the army marched across the
Nolichucky and up Long Creek to its head, then
down Dumplin Creek to the French Broad River. The
army's march was evidently along the Great War
Path of the Indians, and the ford across the
French Broad was near Buckingham Island.

Before the army
reached the ford they were met by Fallin, a
trader who had a white flag, but this was
disregarded by Col Christian. The Cherokee Nation
was divided. One faction, led by Chief Dragging
Canoe who had been wounded at the Battle of
Island Flats 20 July 1776, wanted to abandon the
towns along the Little Tennessee and withdraw
further down the Holston [in the copy we have
this parenthetical of (now the Tennessee) which we
are researching. We were not aware that the
Holston may have joined the Little Tennessee
without taking the Tennessee name]. The elders
and other of the tribe wanted to remain in the
beloved towns along the Little Tennessee. This
faction prevailed, and the Cherokees sent
Nathaniel Gist to seek peace from Col Christian.
Later, Dragging Canoe, with many young Cherokees
and some Creeks, would prevail and make many
vicious raids against the settlers from the
Chicamauga towns in the vicinity of the present
day Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Col Christian,
having been told the Indians were prepared to
contest the fording of French Broad at Buckingham
Island, attempted a ruse. He had his men light a
fire and pitch tents for each mess, as if the
army meant to remain in camp on the north side of
the French Broad River for several days. At 8 pm,
he took 1100 men, marched about 4 miles below
Buckingham Island and crossed the river at the
ford discovered there by some scouts from John
Sevier's company. It was the intention of Col
Christian to attack the Indians drawn up to
oppose the crossing of the river from behind
before sunrise. To Christian's surprise there was
no Indian force there. It is possible the
crossing of the French Broad was made the night
of 15 Oct 1776, Col Christian had stated in a
report from the Double Spring Camp 6 Oct 1776
that it was his intention to cross French Broad
on 15 October. Christian allowed the men to
remain in camp that day to dry their equipment
and clothes which had gotten wet at the crossing
made at the lower ford. While in camp on the
south bank of French Broad, in what is now Sevier
County, the scout and traders from the Cherokee
towns came in and reported that many of the
Indian warriors had taken their families and fled
south to the Hiwassee River, in present day
McMinn, Meigs, and Bradley Counties.

After spending the
day following the crossing of French Broad in
camp, the army resumed the march to the towns of
the Overhill Cherokees along the Little Tennessee
River, probably on 16 or 17 Oct 1776. From the
fording of the French Broad to Toqua Ford on
Little Tennessee the march led the army up the
valley of Boyds Creek, in present day Sevier
County, and down Ellejoy Creek from its source in
Sevier County to where it runs into Little River
in present day Blount County. The army passed the
present site of Maryville, Tennessee, and on
Friday, 18 Oct 1776, crossed the Little Tennessee
River near Toqua, probably at Tomotley Ford. The
night of 18 Oct 1776 was spent at Tomotley, a
site of a Cherokee village down river from Toqua.
No opposition was found and next day the forces
of Col Christian marched down river, on the south
side of Little Tennessee passing through
Tuskegee, then past the site of old Fort Loudoun
which was destroyed by the Cherokees in 1760, to
the Great Island Town (Mialaquo). Col Christian
made his headquarters at Great Island Town near
the present Vonore, Monroe County, Tennessee. The
army camped near the Indian towns about 6 weeks
and probably returned to their homes about 1 Dec
1776.

The campaign was not
entirely in vain, however, since it appears that, while
the men were assembling for the expedition, Colonel
Christian had them build a fort on the long island, which
thereafter served as a strong point on the southern
frontier.